Dental appliance etch template

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems that utilize dental appliance etch templates prior to or during dental treatment. One dental appliance etch template includes a removable shell having one or more cavities formed therein, where the one or more cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient, and the shell includes a well, the well including a wafer, where the wafer includes etch material to etch a tooth of the patient.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/729,113, filed on Dec. 27, 2019, titled “DENTAL APPLIANCE ETCHTEMPLATE,” now U.S. Pat. No. 11,382,730, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/382,235, filed on Dec. 16, 2016, titled“DENTAL APPLIANCE ETCH TEMPLATE,” now U.S. Pat. No. 10,548,700, each ofwhich is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specificationare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the sameextent as if each individual publication or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Dental treatments involve restorative and/or orthodontic procedures toimprove the quality of life of a patient. For example, restorativeprocedures may be designed to implant a dental prosthesis (e.g., acrown, bridge, inlay, onlay, veneer, etc.) intraorally in a patient.Orthodontic procedures may include repositioning misaligned teeth and/orchanging bite configurations for improved cosmetic appearance and/ordental function. Orthodontic repositioning can be accomplished, forexample, by applying controlled forces to one or more teeth of a jaw ofa patient over a period of time.

As an example, orthodontic repositioning may be provided through adental process that uses positioning appliances for realigning teeth.Such appliances may utilize a shell of material having resilientproperties, referred to as an “aligner,” that generally conforms to apatient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with a current toothconfiguration.

Placement of such an appliance over the teeth may provide controlledforces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a newconfiguration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances inprogressive configurations can move the teeth through a series ofintermediate arrangements to a final desired arrangement. Appliances canalso be used for other dental conditions, such as application ofmedications, appliances to help with sleep apnea, and other issues.

Attachments may be affixed to the one or more teeth of the patient(typically with an adhesive material, such as an attachment compositematerial) or directly cured to the tooth. These attachments interactwith surfaces on the appliance to impart forces on one or more teeth.

Such systems typically utilize a set of appliances that can be usedserially such that, as the teeth move, a new appliance from the set canbe implemented to further move the teeth without having to take a newimpression of the patient's teeth at every increment of tooth movementin order to make each successive appliance. The same attachments may beutilized with successive appliances or attachments may be added,removed, or replaced with other attachment shapes that may impartdifferent force characteristics than a previous appliance and attachmentcombination (i.e., appliance and one or more attachments).

Currently, a treatment professional (e.g., a doctor or assistant)applies etch material to a location on a tooth at which a dentalattachment is to be place on a tooth to prepare the location for thesecuring of the attachment thereon. Once the location on the tooth isetched, the dental attachment can be placed at the location of the etchon the tooth and attached, for example, via a bonding agent (e.g., anattachment composite).

The application of etch material to the location on the tooth is done byhand by the treatment professional and, therefore, is subject to usererror. For instance, too much etch material may be applied to the toothsurface, resulting in more area on the tooth being etched than isnecessary to attach the dental attachment. As a result, the bondingagent used to attach the dental attachment can adhere to more surfacearea on the tooth than is necessary for attaching the dental attachment.Therefore, a treatment professional may need to remove the excessbonding agent from the tooth surface, resulting in longer treatmenttimes for the patient and excess work for the treatment professional.This can lead to a longer office visit for the patient, which can bemore costly and more inconvenient to the patient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe claims that follow. A better understanding of the features andadvantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to thefollowing detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments,in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a dental appliance etchtemplate according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a back view of a portion of the dental appliance etchtemplate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates perspective views of various differently shapedwafers according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A illustrates a side cutaway view of a dental appliance etchtemplate including a well with a wafer placed at a particular positionon a facial surface of a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side cutaway view of a dental appliance etchtemplate including a well having a catch area and with a wafer placed ata particular position on a facial surface of a tooth according to anumber of embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4C illustrates a side cutaway view of a dental appliance etchtemplate including a well having an absorbent pad and with a waferplaced at a particular position on a facial surface of a tooth accordingto a number of embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a dental appliance etch templateincluding a well with a wafer placed at a particular position on alingual surface of a tooth according to a number of embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of a dental appliance etch templateincluding a well with a wafer placed at a particular position on afacial surface of a tooth according to a number of embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a dental appliance etch templateincluding a well with a wafer placed at a particular position on alingual surface of a tooth according to a number of embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computing device that can be utilized according toone or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides methods, devices, and systems thatutilize dental appliance etch templates prior to or during dentaltreatment. Such solutions can allow for precise application of etchmaterial at the location where the dental attachment is to be attached.Such a precise application of etch material can allow for fasterapplication and cleanup of dental appliances than past procedures,reducing patient treatment time and cleanup work on the tooth surfacefor the treatment professional.

One appliance includes a removable shell having one or more cavitiesformed therein, wherein the one or more cavities are shaped to receiveteeth of a patient, and wherein the shell includes a well, the wellincluding a wafer, wherein the wafer includes etch material configuredto etch a tooth of the patient. This and other embodiments will bediscussed in more detail below.

In the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments ofthis disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments maybe utilized and that process, electrical, and/or structural changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, “at least one of” a particular thing can refer to one ormore of such things (e.g., at least one tooth can refer to one or moreteeth).

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. For example, 102 may referenceelement “02” in FIG. 1, and a similar element may be referenced as 202in FIG. 2.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number ofadditional embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, as willbe appreciated, the proportion and the relative scale of the elementsprovided in the figures are intended to illustrate certain embodimentsof the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a dental appliance etchtemplate 100 according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the appliance 100 includes aremovable shell 102 having one or more cavities 104 formed therein.

The appliance 100 can include the removable shell 102, where the one ormore cavities 104 can be shaped to receive teeth of a patient. Theremovable shell 102 can include one or more wells 106-1, 106-2, 106-3(referred to collectively as one or more wells 106). Each well of theone or more wells 106 can include a corresponding wafer. For example,well 106-1 can include a wafer, well 106-2 can include a wafer, and well106-3 can include a wafer. As used herein, a wafer refers to a porousmaterial capable of absorbing liquid. For example, a wafer can absorbetch material (e.g., an acidic material, such as phosphoric acid) thatcan etch a tooth of a patient. As used herein, etching refers to aprocess of chemically removing material from a surface of a tooth. Eachwafer can include etch material configured to etch teeth of the patientat particular positions on the surfaces of the teeth, as will be furtherdescribed herein.

The one or more wells 106 can be located in adjacent cavities of the oneor more cavities 104. For example, the removable shell 102 can bedesigned to be placed over teeth of a patient's upper jaw, where the oneor more wells 106 can be located in cavities shaped to receive apatient's first bicuspid (e.g., well 106-1), a patient's cuspid (e.g.,well 106-2), and the patient's lateral incisor (e.g., well 106-3),although embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to wellslocated in cavities corresponding to the patient's first bicuspid,cuspid, and/or lateral incisor of an upper jaw of the patient. Forexample, the one or more wells 106 can be located in cavities that canreceive one or more other teeth of the upper jaw of the patient.Additionally, the removable shell 102 can be designed to be placed overteeth of a patient's lower jaw, where the one or more wells can belocated in cavities that can receive any other teeth of the lower jaw ofthe patient.

The one or more wells can be located in non-adjacent cavities of the oneor more cavities. Although not shown in FIG. 1, for clarity and so asnot to obscure embodiments of the present disclosure, the removableshell can be designed to be placed over teeth of a patient's upper jaw,where the one or more wells can be located in cavities shaped toreceive, for example, a patient's first molar, first bicuspid, and/orcentral incisor. In some embodiments, the removable shell can be for apatient's lower jaw, where the one or more wells can be located incavities shaped to receive, for example, the patient's third molar,first molar, and/or central incisor.

Although each cavity of the removable shell 102 is described above asincluding only one well, embodiments of the present disclosure are notso limited. For example, a cavity of the removable shell 102 can includemore than one well (e.g., two wells), where the wells include a wafersuch that two different locations on a patient's tooth may be etched. Inthis example, two different dental attachments may then be attached tothe same tooth of the patient.

Although the one or more wells 106 are shown in FIG. 1 as being locatedon a facial surface of removable shell 102, embodiments of the presentdisclosure are not so limited. For example, the one or more wells 106may be located on a lingual surface of removable shell 102, or may belocated on a combination of facial and/or lingual surfaces of removableshell 102, as will be further described herein with respect to FIGS.4-7.

Further, in some embodiments, the shell may include a single cavity forthe placement of a single tooth and that cavity may include one or morewells thereon.

In some embodiments, the appliance 100 can be fabricated throughthermal-forming a sheet of plastic over a physical dental mold orthrough direct fabrication by a three dimensional printing apparatus.With respect to thermoforming, the physical dental mold, for instance,can represent an incremental position in a treatment plan to which apatient's teeth are to be moved and can include attachment shapes formedin the mold.

The physical dental mold can be manufactured, for example, bydownloading a computer-aided design (CAD) virtual dental model to arapid prototyping process, such as, for example, a computer-aidedmanufacturing (CAM) milling, stereolithography, and/or photolithographyprocess.

The dental mold (e.g., set of molded teeth and/or jaw) can be createdfrom a virtual model of one or more teeth and/or jaw of a patient. Avirtual model, for example, can include an initial virtual dental modeland/or intermediate virtual dental model (wherein the teeth of thepatient have been moved with respect to their actual physical position).A dental mold can be formed in accordance with a unique treatment filethat, for example, identifies a patient, a stage of a treatment plan,the virtual model of the number of teeth and/or jaw, and/or whether thedental mold is of the upper and/or lower dental arch.

In some computing device system processes, a treatment file can beaccessed by a rapid prototyping apparatus machine or direct fabricationdevice, such as a stereolithography (SLA) or 3D printing machine, toform and/or create the dental mold. As discussed above, the result ofthe dental mold can include a set of molded teeth.

The set of molded teeth can include at least a replica of one or moreteeth of the patient, but can also include other features such asgingival and jaw structures, among others. The dental mold can be usedto make a dental appliance, for example, by creating a negativeimpression of the dental mold using polymeric sheets of material andvacuum forming the sheets over the dental mold, as discussed above.

For instance, a dental appliance etch template can be formed by layeringa thermoformable sheet of material and/or multiple sheets of one or morematerials over the dental mold. The materials can include a polymericmaterial, for instance.

Generally, the dental appliance etch template is produced and/or formedby heating the polymeric thermoformable sheet and vacuum or pressureforming the sheet over the dental mold (e.g., one or more molded teeth).A dental appliance etch template can, for example, include a negativeimpression of the dental mold. Such molding techniques can be used tocreate the dental appliance etch template.

As discussed above, in some embodiments, the appliance 100 can befabricated through direct fabrication, such as via a three-dimensional(3D) printer. This can be beneficial, for example, as the treatmentprofessional can print appliance 100 at their location rather than at amanufacturing facility, in some applications. Further, appliance 100does not need to be formed around a mold of teeth when direct printed;this can save in manufacturing costs due to less time, materials, andemployee time in creating such models and removing the components fromthe models.

Direct fabrication also allows for the design to be more easily andreadily changed because the design can be altered via a computing deviceand direct printed from the modified design stored in memory on thecomputing device or a connected network or memory. Further, directfabrication allows for creation of components of different materialwithout substantial changes to equipment that may be used at amanufacturing facility, among other benefits.

For example, appliance 100 can be formed by printing using athree-dimensional printing apparatus. In some embodiments, the appliance100 can be fabricated from the same material. Examples of material caninclude, but are not limited to: polymers such as, polyester, aco-polyester, a polycarbonate, a thermoplastic polyurethane, apolypropylene, a polyethylene, a polypropylene and polyethylenecopolymer, an acrylic, a cyclic block copolymer, a polyetheretherketone,a polyamide, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polybutylene terephthalate,a polyetherimide, a polyethersulfone, a polytrimethylene terephthalate,or a combination of one or more such materials, which can be used tomake dental appliances, such as aligners, or curable composite (e.g., aresin material) that can be used to attach orthodontic appliances toteeth or create orthodontic structures.

It may be beneficial to prepare the surface of the tooth for adhering ofa dental attachment thereto. It is ideal if the preparation of thesurface of the tooth takes place only at the area in which theattachment is to be attached. Such preparation can include etching ofthe surface of the tooth which improves the adhesion between the toothsurface and the attachment or adhesive material used to adhere theattachment to the tooth.

A wafer included in a well can include a surface that is to be placedagainst a surface of the tooth to be etched of the patient. For example,the wafers included in the one or more wells 106 can each include asurface that is to be placed against a surface of a patient's tooth thatis to be etched. The wafer surface can be placed against a surface ofthe patient's tooth where etch material included in the wafer can betransferred to the surface of the patient's tooth that is to be etched,as will be further described herein.

As described above, a dental attachment can be placed at a particularposition on a tooth. As used herein, a dental attachment refers to astructure placed on a surface of a tooth to aid in performingorthodontic procedures, including repositioning misaligned teeth and/orchanging bite configurations for improved cosmetic appearance and/ordental function. A dental attachment is typically smaller than thesurface area of a tooth onto which it is to be placed. The dentalattachment may be designed to be located at a specific area of the toothto impart the correct forces on the tooth or one or more other teeth viathe shell to accomplish the desired orthodontic repositioning of thepatient's teeth. The orthodontic repositioning of the tooth may beaccomplished according to a treatment plan. The dental attachment caninclude a dental bracket.

A location of a well is based on a particular position on a surface ofthe tooth to be etched of the patient. That is, the location of each ofthe one or more wells 106 can be based on the particular position on thesurface area of the patient's teeth that are to be etched. For example,well 106-1 may be located in a lower portion of a cavity of removableshell 102 such that an area on a lower portion of the patient's tooth isetched when contacted by etch material included in a wafer.

As another example, well 106-3 may be located in a higher portion of acavity of removable shell 102 such that an area on a higher portion ofthe patient's tooth is etched when contacted by etch material includedin a wafer. Such examples indicate that the location of the one or morewells 106 can correspond to locations on a patient's teeth that are tobe etched.

The surface of the wafer can be placed at the particular position on thetooth surface via a well of the one or more wells 106 such that the etchmaterial etches the tooth surface at the particular position on thetooth surface. For example, based on the location of well 106-1 beinglocated in a lower portion of a cavity of removable shell 102, a surfaceof the wafer corresponding to well 106-1 can contact the tooth surfaceat a lower position on the tooth, resulting in the tooth surface beingetched at the lower position on the tooth.

The shape of the well is based on a particular shape of an attachment tobe placed on a tooth surface of the patient. The shape of the wafer isbased on the shape of the well and the particular shape of theattachment to be placed on the tooth surface of the patient. That is,the shape of a well among the one or more wells 106 can correspond tothe shape of the dental attachment, where the shape of the wafer cancorrespond to the shape of the well among the one or more wells 106.

A dental attachment can include a surface that is to be attached to atooth of the patient. For instance, the surface of the dental attachmentthat is to be attached to the tooth of the patient can be a squareshape, and the shape of well 106-3, and correspondingly the shape of thewafer included in well 106-3, can be a square shape. The surface ofanother dental attachment that is to be attached to a different tooth ofthe patient can be a triangular shape, and the shape of well 106-2, andcorrespondingly the shape of the wafer included in well 106-2, can be atriangular shape. The surface of another dental attachment that is to beattached to a different tooth of the patient can be a rectangular shape,and the shape of well 106-1, and correspondingly the shape of the waferincluded in well 106-1, can be a rectangular shape.

A surface of a tooth of a patient can be etched via a wafer included ina well, among the one or more wells 102, at a particular location on thesurface of the patient's tooth according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The removable shell 102 can include one or more cavities 104that can include one or more wells 106, each including a wafer that canetch a tooth of the patient. Each of the one or more cavities 104 of theremovable shell 102 can be shaped to receive teeth of the patient.

Each wafer included in the one or more wells 106 can include etchmaterial. Each wafer is placed at a particular location on the toothsurface via a well such that etch material etches the tooth surface atthe particular position on the tooth surface. That is, each waferincludes a surface that is to be placed against a surface of a tooth tobe etched of the patient.

In some embodiments, the etch material included in each wafer can etchenamel of each tooth to be etched at the particular location on thesurface of each tooth to be etched. As used herein, enamel refers to thenormally visible part of a tooth that acts as a barrier to protect thetooth. For example, a wafer located in well 106-1 can etch the enamel ofa tooth at a particular location (e.g., a lower portion) on the tooththat is to have a dental attachment attached at that location on thetooth.

In some embodiments, the etch material included in each wafer can etchdentin of each tooth to be etched at a particular location on thesurface of each tooth to be etched. As used herein, dentin refers tocalcified tissue covered by enamel and cementum of a tooth and surroundsthe pulp of a tooth. For example, a wafer located in well 106-1 can etchthe dentin of a tooth at a particular location (e.g., a lower portion)on the tooth that is to have a dental attachment attached at thatlocation on the tooth.

A sealer can be applied to the surface of the tooth of the patient atthe particular location on the surface of the tooth prior to attachingthe dental attachment. That is, after a tooth is etched, a treatmentprofessional can apply a sealer to the surface of the tooth of thepatient at the location on the surface of the tooth that was etched viathe wafer. The sealer can prevent saliva from the patient fromcontacting the etched surface of the tooth of the patient.

A treatment professional can attach a dental attachment to the tooth atthe etched location of the tooth via a bonding agent. In someembodiments, the dental attachment can be included in a well of anattachment template and can be attached to the tooth at the particularlocation on the surface of the tooth that was etched.

An attachment template can include a different removable shell havingone or more cavities formed therein, where the one or more cavities areshaped to receive the teeth of the patient. The well of the attachmenttemplate can be in the same location as the well in the attachmenttemplate such that the dental attachment is attached to the surface ofthe tooth via the bonding agent at the location on the surface of thetooth that was etched via the wafer.

Although the dental attachment is described as being attached by anattachment template, embodiments of the present disclosure are not solimited. For example, the treatment professional can attach the dentalattachment via a bonding agent to the tooth by hand.

The bonding agent can be cured via an ultra-violet (UV) light source.That is, once the dental attachment is placed on the location of thesurface of the tooth that was etched, a dental professional can cure thebonding agent such that the dental attachment is secured to the surfaceof the tooth. The dental professional can cure the bonding agent via aUV light source, although embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited to curing the bonding agent via a UV light source.

In some embodiments, a computing device (such as that described inrelation to FIG. 8 below) can be used to create a treatment plan to movethe teeth of a patient in an incremental manner to improve theirposition within the patient's mouth. Other dental appliances can becreated to aid patients with sleep apnea or medication delivery, amongother types of appliances.

A computing device can be used to create such devices or molds tofabricate such dental appliances and/or dental attachments. In someembodiments, a computing device can be used to virtually model suchdental appliances and/or dental attachments.

A treatment professional may perform a method of attaching an attachmentto a tooth. The method can include etching, via a wafer included in awell of an etching template, a surface of a tooth of a patient at aparticular location on the surface of the tooth, where the etchingtemplate includes a removable shell having one or more cavities formedtherein, where the one or more cavities are shaped to receive teeth ofthe patient. For example, a treatment professional can cause theremovable shell, having the wafer with etch material included in theetch template, to be received by the teeth of the patient (e.g., thetreatment professional can slide the etching template onto the patient'steeth). The wafer can then etch the surface of a patient's tooth.

The treatment professional can attach, via a bonding agent after thetooth or teeth of the patient have been etched, a dental attachmentincluded in a well of an attachment template to the tooth of the patientat the particular location of the surface of the tooth, where theattachment template includes a removable shell having one or morecavities formed therein, where the one or more cavities are shaped toreceive the teeth of the patient. For example, a treatment professionalcan cause the removable shell, having the dental attachment included inthe attachment template, to be received by the teeth of the patient(e.g., the treatment professional can slide the attachment template ontothe patient's teeth). The location of the well in the etching templatecan be in the same location as the well in the attachment template. Thedental attachment can then attach to the surface of the patient's toothor teeth at the location on the patient's tooth that was etched.

A dental appliance etch template, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure, can allow for precise application of etch materialto a location on a surface of a tooth at which a dental attachment is tobe placed. Precise application of etch material can allow for etching ofthe tooth surface only at the location where the dental attachment is tobe placed, reducing the likelihood that more tooth surface area isetched than is necessary. By decreasing the area where etching of atooth occurs, the likelihood of bonding agent attaching to areas of atooth where a dental attachment is not placed can be reduced. As aresult, a dental professional may spend less time cleaning excessbonding agent from areas of the tooth where a dental attachment is notlocated, reducing treatment times for the patient and work load for thedental professional.

FIG. 2 illustrates a back view of a portion of the dental appliance etchtemplate 200 of FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the dentalappliance etch template can include a removable shell 202 (e.g.,removable shell 102, previously described in connection with FIG. 1),one or more wells 206 (e.g., one or more wells 106, previously describedin connection with FIG. 1), and one or more wafers 208-1, 208-2, 208-3(referred to collectively as one or more wafers 208).

As shown in FIG. 2, the one or more wafers 208-1, 208-2, 208-3 arelocated in one or more cavities 206-1, 206-2, 206-3, respectively. Insome embodiments, the one or more wafers 208 can include etch materialand can be located in one or more cavities 206 prior to the treatmentprofessional receiving the appliance 200. For example, the appliance 200can be packaged such that in order to etch teeth of a patient, thetreatment professional merely has to remove the packing material fromappliance 200, and fit the appliance 200 over the teeth of the patient.

For example, in some embodiments, a release liner can be positionedacross the opening of the well where the etch material will contact thetooth. A release liner can be a thin film of material (e.g., a flexiblesheet of plastic material) that is secured around at least a portion ofthe open of the well (e.g., via a releasable adhesive that holds thesheet of material against the portion of the shell forming the openingfor the well, or alternatively or additionally to the etch material. Inthis manner, the covering and/or encapsulating of the etch materialwithin the well (and the release liner or other suitable packingmaterial) can reduce evaporation of the etch material, reduces thepossibility of contamination from dirt, dust, or other elements duringpackaging or transit, and/or leakage of the etch material depending onthe consistency and type of etch material used, among other benefits.

In some embodiments, the one or more wafers 208 can be locatedseparately from the one or more cavities 206. For example, the appliance200 and the one or more wafers 208 can be packaged separately such thatin order to etch teeth of a patient, the treatment professional has toplace the one or more wafers 208 in the one or more cavities 206, andfit the appliance 200 over the teeth of the patient.

In various embodiments, the treatment professional may need to load etchmaterial into the one or more wafers 208, as they may not include etchmaterial when packaged. In some embodiments, the treatment professionalmay not need to load etch material into the one or more wafers 208, asthey may already include etch material when packaged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the one or more wells 206 can be any suitable shape,such as a rectangular shape, a square shape, and/or a non-rectangularshape. That is, the well is at least one of a rectangular shape and anon-rectangular shape. For example, a dental attachment may bedifferently shaped according to its function and/or force to be impartedon the tooth. The one or more wells 206 can be shaped to correspond tothe shape of the dental attachment.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure can be used withstandardized dental attachments, since the apparatus can be fabricatedto be used with a specific patient's teeth positioning, specializedattachments can also be designed and can be made available to atreatment professional.

Such specialization can also, for example, include the size of thedental attachment, shape of the dental attachment, and other suitablespecialized characteristics. Accordingly, the patient will be able toget a more customized treatment based on use of such embodiments. Thiscan allow the dental appliance etch template to be specialized to thepatient, but not be onerous on the treatment professional who, forexample, may not have attachment design skills or capabilities.

FIG. 3 illustrates perspective views 310 of various differently shapedwafers according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure.As shown in FIG. 3, the one or more wafers 308-1, 308-2, 308-3, 308-4,308-5 (referred to collectively as one or more wafers 308) can be ofvarious shapes.

As shown in FIG. 3, the one or more wafers 308 can be any suitableshape. That is, a wafer can is least one of a rectangular shape and anon-rectangular shape. As previously described in FIG. 2, the shapes ofthe one or more wafers 308 can correspond to the shape of the well thewafer is located in, and/or can be shaped according to a shape of adental attachment to be attached to a tooth.

For instance, wafer 308-1 is shaped as a rectangular prism. As usedherein, a prism refers to a three-dimensional geometric shape havingbases with the same shape. For example, wafer 308-1 can be a prism withrectangular bases and six surfaces. Wafer 308-1 can include surface312-1 which contacts the surface of the tooth to be etched such thatetch material included in wafer 308-1 is transferred from wafer 308-1onto a location on the surface of the tooth to be etched.

Wafer 308-2 is shaped as a triangular prism having triangular bases andfive surfaces. Wafer 308-2 can include surface 312-2. Surface 312-2 canbe the surface of wafer 308-2 which contacts the surface of the tooth tobe etched such that etch material included in wafer 308-2 is transferredfrom wafer 308-2 onto a location on the surface of the tooth to beetched.

Wafer 308-3 is shaped as a cube. As used herein, a cube refers to aprism with six congruent faces. For example, wafer 308-3 can be a prismwith square bases and six surfaces. Wafer 308-3 can include surface312-3. Surface 312-3 can be the surface of wafer 308-3 which contactsthe surface of the tooth to be etched such that etch material includedin wafer 308-3 is transferred from wafer 308-3 onto a location on thesurface of the tooth to be etched. Wafer 308-4 is shaped as a cylinder.As used herein, a cylinder refers to a prism with two parallel circularfaces and three surfaces. Wafer 308-4 can include surface 312-4 whichcontacts the surface of the tooth to be etched such that etch materialincluded in wafer 308-4 is transferred from wafer 308-4 onto a locationon the surface of the tooth to be etched.

Wafer 308-5 can be shaped as an elliptic cylinder. As used herein, anelliptic cylinder refers to a prism with two parallel elliptical facesand three surfaces. Wafer 308-5 can include surface 312-5 which contactsthe surface of the tooth to be etched such that etch material includedin wafer 308-5 is transferred from wafer 308-5 onto a location on thesurface of the tooth to be etched.

Although the one or more wafers 308 are described as including arectangular prism, a triangular prism, a cube, a cylinder, and/or anelliptical cylinder, embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited to such shapes. For example, the one or more wafers 308 can beany other shape, and can be shaped based on a shape of the dentalattachment to be attached to a surface of the tooth such that the etchedsurface of the tooth matches the shape of the dental attachment to beattached thereto.

FIG. 4A illustrates a side view 414 of a dental appliance etch template416 including a well 420 with a wafer 422 placed at a particularposition 424 on a facial surface of a tooth 418 according to a number ofembodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4A, theappliance 416 can be fitted over a tooth 418 of a patient. Tooth 418 ofa patient can be etched using appliance 416 as previously described inconnection with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4A, the tooth 418 isillustrated as an incisor, although embodiments of the presentdisclosure are not limited to etching incisors using such appliances.

Appliance 416 can include well 420, for example, located on a facialsurface of the removable shell of appliance 416. For instance, well 420can be located on a facial surface of a cavity of appliance 416 that canreceive one of one or more teeth of a patient. Well 420 can includewafer 422. Wafer 422 can be placed at a particular location 424 on asurface of tooth 418 to be etched, where wafer 422 includes a surfacethat is placed against (e.g., contacts) the particular location 424 ofthe surface of tooth 418 to be etched.

A wafer can be made from any suitable material that will hold the etchmaterial during the etching process. For example, an absorbent materialsuch as paper, cotton, sponge, an absorbent polymer, or other suchsuitable materials can be utilized.

The wafer can be held in place within the well in any suitable mannerand can be permanently affixed to the well or can be removable. Forexample, an adhesive material can be applied between one or moresurfaces of the well and one or more surfaces of the wafer.

In some embodiments, the wafer can be constructed of a resilientmaterial (e.g., sponge), its size can be reduced and then once in place,it can expand and friction between the surfaces of the well and thewafer can frictionally hold it within the well. In such an embodiment,the wafer can be removed from the well, etch material can be applied,and then the wafer can be returned to the well.

In various embodiments, when the etch material is applied, the waferwill expand such that friction between the surfaces of the well and thewafer can frictionally hold it within the well. For example, the waferwithout etch material can have a first diameter and the wafer with theetch material has a second diameter that is larger than the firstdiameter.

In some embodiments, the shape of the interior surfaces of the well canbe shaped to hold the wafer in place. For example, a portion of thesurface of the well can be constricted (e.g., sides of the well arecloser together at some portion of the well) and a wafer constructedfrom a resilient material can be forced past the constriction andexpanded past the constriction to hold the wafer in place.

The use of a resilient wafer material can also be beneficial in that ifthe cavity for receiving the tooth is not accurately sized. For example,the wafer can be sized such that the material's resilient nature allowsit to contact the surface of the tooth even though the wall of thecavity may not be contacting the tooth.

Although not shown in FIG. 4A, it should be noted that, in someembodiments, one or more walls of the well can extend past the side wallof the tooth receiving cavity and into the tooth receiving cavity. Forexample, a bottom surface of the well (as it will be oriented whenpositioned in the patient's mouth) can extend into the tooth receivingcavity inward from the side wall of the cavity. Thus the extended bottomsurface of the well can be used to catch any drip of liquid from thewafer, for example, resulting from the compression of the wafer. In thismanner, the extended wall of the well can reduce the possibility ofetching more tooth surface that intended.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side cutaway view of a dental appliance etchtemplate including a well having a catch area and with a wafer placed ata particular position on a facial surface of a tooth according to anumber of embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen in theembodiment of FIG. 4B, the well has a well bottom, an opening oppositethe well bottom, and one or more side walls (one side wall, if the shapeof the well is a cylinder).

However, when oriented with respect to the tooth as shown in FIG. 4B,one or more of the side walls of the well, become the top and bottomsurfaces of the well with the well bottom generally vertical. In such anembodiment, the bottom surface of the well can be designed to bowoutward (away from the center of the well). In this manner, the bowedout portion can be used to catch any excess etch material. This can bebeneficial, for example, to limit potential dripping or oozing of etchmaterial down the inside of the cavity of the appliance 414 or down thesurface of the tooth, thereby reducing the potential of etchingunintended portions of tooth 418.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4B, the well 420 includes a bowed side wall(the bottom wall when positioned in the patient's mouth). This bowedside wall creates a reservoir that allows for any excess liquid that maybe in the wafer to drop into the reservoir area and not onto a patient'stooth. Such a feature can reduce or eliminate the over etching of thetooth due to providing extra etch material to the tooth. As the readerwill understand, a reservoir can be any suitable shape as long as itprovides an area into which the excess etch material can drop.

FIG. 4C illustrates a side cutaway view of a dental appliance etchtemplate including a well having an absorbent pad and with a waferplaced at a particular position on a facial surface of a tooth accordingto a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment ofFIG. 4C provides another mechanism that can be used to catch excess etchmaterial. In this embodiment, an absorbent material 421 is positioned inthe well 420, such that when oriented as the appliance 414 will be inthe patient's mouth, excess etch material will be absorbed by theabsorbent material 421 and not on the patient's tooth.

Such embodiments can be particularly beneficial in embodiments where thewafer is compressible and where the end of the wafer extends beyond theportion of the appliance 423 that forms the opening of the well 420.Such embodiments can be beneficial because when compressed, they maybetter conform to the shape of the surface of the tooth and may providebetter contact force against the tooth surface which may result in abetter etch of the tooth surface, among other benefits.

In such embodiments, when the wafer is compressed as it comes in contactwith the surface of the tooth to be etched, the compression may causeetch material to be forced out of the wafer. The absorbent material 421can absorb the etch material expelled from the wafer.

FIG. 4C also illustrates a release liner 417 (as discussed previously inthe discussion of FIG. 2) that can be used to keep the wafer 422 and/oretch material in the well 420. In practice, this release liner 417 willbe removed before the etch material can etch the surface of tooth 418,but for purposes of fitting the appliance to the patient, it may bepositioned as shown and then subsequently removed before the etchingprocess takes place.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view 525 of a dental appliance etch template526 including a well 530 with a wafer 532 placed at a particularposition 534 on a lingual surface of a tooth 528 according to a numberof embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, theappliance 526 can be fitted over a tooth 528 of a patient. Tooth 528 ofa patient can be etched using appliance 526 as previously described inconnection with FIG. 1. FIG. 5 also illustrates that the tooth 528 canbe an incisor, although embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited to etching incisors using such appliances.

Appliance 526 can include well 530 which, for example, can be located ona lingual surface of the removable shell of appliance 526. For instance,well 530 can be located on a lingual surface of a cavity of appliance526 that can receive one of one or more teeth of a patient. Well 530 caninclude wafer 532. Wafer 532 can be placed at a particular location 534on a surface of tooth 528 to be etched, where wafer 532 includes asurface that is placed against (e.g., contacts) the particular location534 of the surface of tooth 528 to be etched.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view 635 of a dental appliance etch template636 including a well 640 with a wafer 642 placed at a particularposition 644 on a facial surface of a tooth according to a number ofembodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, the appliance 636 can be fitted over a tooth 638 ofa patient. Tooth 638 of a patient can be etched using appliance 636 aspreviously described in connection with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, thetooth 638 can be a bicuspid, although embodiments of the presentdisclosure are not limited to etching bicuspids using appliance 636.

Appliance 636 can include well 640. Well 640 can be located on a facialsurface of the removable shell of appliance 636. For example, well 640can be located on a facial surface of a cavity of appliance 636 that canreceive one of one or more teeth of a patient. Well 640 can includewafer 642. Wafer 642 can be placed at a particular location 644 on asurface of tooth 638 to be etched, where wafer 642 includes a surfacethat is placed against (e.g., contacts) the particular location 644 ofthe surface of tooth 638 to be etched.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view 746 of a dental appliance etch template748 including a well 752 with a wafer 754 placed at a particularposition 756 on a lingual surface of a tooth according to a number ofembodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the appliance 748 can be fitted over a tooth 750 ofa patient. Tooth 750 of a patient can be etched using appliance 748 aspreviously described in connection with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, thetooth 750 can be a bicuspid, although embodiments of the presentdisclosure are not limited to etching bicuspids using appliance 748.

Appliance 748 can include well 752. Well 752 can be located on a lingualsurface of the removable shell of appliance 748. For example, well 752can be located on a lingual surface of a cavity of appliance 748 thatcan receive one of one or more teeth of a patient. Well 752 can includewafer 754. Wafer 754 can be placed at a particular location 756 on asurface of tooth 750 to be etched, where wafer 754 includes a surfacethat is placed against (e.g., contacts) the particular location 756 ofthe surface of tooth 750 to be etched.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computing device 858 that can be utilized accordingto one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For instance, acomputing device 858 can have a number of components coupled thereto.

The computing device 858 can include a processor 860 and a memory 862.The memory 862 can have various types of information including data 864and executable instructions 866, as discussed herein.

The processor 860 can execute instructions 866 that are stored on aninternal or external non-transitory computer device readable medium(CRM). A non-transitory CRM, as used herein, can include volatile and/ornon-volatile memory.

Volatile memory can include memory that depends upon power to storeinformation, such as various types of dynamic random access memory(DRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can include memory that doesnot depend upon power to store information.

Memory 862 and/or the processor 860 may be located on the computingdevice 858 or off of the computing device 858, in some embodiments. Assuch, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the computing device858 can include a network interface 868. Such an interface 868 can allowfor processing on another networked computing device, can be used toobtain information about the patient, and/or can be used to obtain dataand/or executable instructions for use with various embodiments providedherein.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the computing device 858 caninclude one or more input and/or output interfaces 870. Such interfaces870 can be used to connect the computing device 858 with one or moreinput and/or output devices 872, 874, 876, 878, 880.

For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the input and/oroutput devices can include a scanning device 872, a camera dock 874, aninput device 876 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.), a display device 878(e.g., a monitor), a printer 880, and/or one or more other input/outputdevices. The input/output interfaces 854 can, for example, receiveexecutable instructions and/or data, storable in the data storage device(e.g., memory), representing a virtual dental model of a patient'sdentition an/d or a virtual model of the appliance to be created.

In some embodiments, the scanning device 872 can be configured to scanone or more physical dental molds of a patient's dentition. In one ormore embodiments, the scanning device 872 can be configured to scan thepatient's dentition, a dental appliance, and/or attachment placementstructure directly. The scanning device 872 can be configured to inputdata into the computing device 858.

In some embodiments, the camera dock 874 can receive an input from animaging device (e.g., a 2D or 3D imaging device) such as a digitalcamera, a printed photograph scanner, and/or other suitable imagingdevice. The input from the imaging device can, for example, be stored inmemory 862.

The processor 860 can execute instructions to provide a visualindication of a treatment plan, a dental appliance, and/or a one or moredental attachments on the display 878. The computing device 858 can beconfigured to allow a treatment professional or other user to inputtreatment goals. Input received can be sent to the processor 860 as data864 and/or can be stored in memory 862.

Such connectivity can allow for the input and/or output of data and/orinstructions among other types of information. Some embodiments may bedistributed among various computing devices within one or more networks,and such systems as illustrated in FIG. 8 can be beneficial in allowingfor the capture, calculation, and/or analysis of information discussedherein.

The processor 860 coupled to the memory 862 can, for example, includeinstructions to cause the computing device 858 to perform a methodincluding, for example, creating a treatment plan based on a virtualmodel of a jaw of a patient, wherein the treatment plan includes use ofa dental attachment.

In some embodiments, the processor 860 coupled to the memory 862 cancause the computing device 858 to perform the method comprising modelinga virtual dental attachment based on the treatment plan, wherein thevirtual dental attachment is constructed to provide one or more forcesdesired by the treatment plan.

Such analysis can be accomplished one or more times for a treatmentplan. For example, if a treatment plan has 30 stages, it would bepossible to have different dental attachments for each stage or possiblymore, if desired. However, in many instances the attachment type,position, and/or orientation may be changed a few times during thetreatment plan. Further, an etch template can be designed for use beforea treatment plan commences, as a first step in a treatment plan, or aspart of a first step in a treatment plan.

Once a location and orientation of an attachment and its forcecharacteristics are determined during the creation of the treatmentplan, in some embodiments, the location, orientation, and/or forcescharacteristics can be used to create the etch template and the locationand orientation of the one or more wells located thereon. In suchembodiments, the location on the tooth is where the attachment will beplaced on the surface of the tooth and the orientation is how theattachment is positioned at that location.

Through use of virtual modeling, dental attachments can be virtuallytested and the best attachment type, shape, position, and/or orientationcan be selected without inconveniencing the patient with trial and errorof attachments during treatment. Additionally, use of virtual modelingcan also allow for custom design of attachment shapes that will besuitable for a specific patient's needs and/or a specific functionwithin an area of a patient's mouth. From such analysis, differentphysical dental attachment placement apparatuses can be created from thevirtual dental attachment placement apparatus data that would beutilized to create the attachments needed for the different stages.

Further, the specialized nature of the design of such dental attachmentscan also allow the attachments to be made from different materials. Inthis manner, dental attachments during a treatment plan or even duringone stage can be of a different material that may provide morespecialized force distribution than was possible with standardattachments.

In some embodiments, the printer 880 can be a three dimensional ordirect fabrication device that can create a dental appliance directlyfrom instructions from the computing device 858. Embodiments of thepresent disclosure utilizing such technology can be particularlybeneficial for a variety of reasons. For example, such directmanufacture allows for less waste of materials due to less processingsteps and increased specialization of the attachment placementstructure, attachment materials, and/or other components of theappliances described herein.

One example embodiment that can be accomplished with such a computingsystem is a method of forming an etching template that includes defininga virtual three dimensional etching template body formed by a virtualshell having one or more cavities formed therein that are shaped to eachreceive one or more teeth of a patient. The shape of the shell can bebased on the actual position of the teeth of the patient or can be basedon a stage of the treatment plan that will be used to adjust theposition of the teeth of the patient, for example.

This example method also includes identifying a virtual position on thetemplate body at which an etching material well is to be placed on thevirtual template body based on an area that is to be etched on aparticular one of the patient's teeth. In this manner, the position ofthe well can be virtually identified and positioned without having toplace a physical etch template on the patient's teeth.

The example method also includes forming a physical etching templatebased on the virtual three dimensional template body having the etchingmaterial well formed thereon based on the identified virtual position.

As discussed herein, such methods can also include creating a treatmentplan based on a virtual model of at least one tooth of the patient,wherein the treatment plan includes use of an attachment placed at aparticular position on a particular one of the patient's teeth. In suchmethods, the treatment plan may include one or more attachments beingused in a particular stage or multiple attachments being used in one ormore stages.

As discussed above, in some such method embodiments, creating atreatment plan based on a virtual model can include creating multiplestages for the treatment of the patient wherein one or more attachmentsare used in at least one stage of the treatment plan and each stageutilizes a dental appliance in conjunction with the one or moreattachments. Such embodiments can allow for the creation, for example,of multiple stages for the treatment of the patient wherein each stageutilizes a different dental appliance and wherein at least one of thestages includes moving one or more teeth from a first position to asecond position. This can further allow for etch templates to be createdfrom each tooth, each attachment location, and/or each stage oftreatment, which can be beneficial to the treatment professional as itcan improve the accuracy of the process of etching each location.

Such method embodiments can be used for determining a position on aparticular tooth for placement of each attachment. This information canthen be used for defining an area to be etched on the tooth thatincludes the position at which the attachment is to be placed based onthe treatment plan. In this manner, the template can be designed toprecisely etch an area to be used for affixing the attachment.

In some embodiments, the method can include defining an etch area on thetooth that includes the particular position on the tooth at which theattachment is to be placed based on the treatment plan. The etch areacan be the same size and in some cases the shape of the area can be thesame as the surface of the attachment that is to be attached to thesurface of the tooth. In some embodiments, the etch area may be slightlylarger or smaller or shaped differently than the surface of theattachment that is to be attached to the surface of the tooth. The etcharea can be determined by a treatment professional or in some cases canbe defined by software, based on size, shape, position, and orientationinformation from the virtual model of one or more of the patient'steeth.

Methods can also include defining the shape and orientation of the wellon the virtual three dimensional etch template body based on an areathat is to be etched (etch area) on a particular one of the patient'steeth. From this information a physical etching template can be formedbased on the virtual three dimensional template body having the etchingmaterial well formed thereon, which can, for example, be based on theidentified virtual position and defined shape and orientation from thevirtual model created of the etch template.

The embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a number ofbenefits. For example, the embodiments described herein can allow forprecise application of etch material to a surface of a tooth at which adental attachment is to be placed, allowing for less tooth surface beingetched. As a result, a dental professional can spend less time removingexcess bonding agent from areas of the tooth where a dental attachmentis not located. This can save time for the dental professional as wellas reduce treatment times for patients, among other benefits.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description. The scope of the various embodiments of thedisclosure includes any other applications in which the above structuresand methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of thedisclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims,along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter liesin less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of attaching an attachment to apatient's tooth, the method comprising: placing an etching template onthe patient's dental arch, the etching template including one or morefirst cavities configured to receive one or more teeth of the patient'sdental arch, the etching template further including a first well havinga wafer including an etch material, wherein when the etching template isplaced on the patient's dental arch, the etch material etches anattachment location of the patient's tooth; removing the etchingtemplate from the patient's dental arch; placing an attachment templateon the patient's dental arch, the attachment template including one ormore second cavities configured to receive the one or more teeth of thepatient's dental arch, the attachment template further including asecond well having a dental attachment, wherein when the attachmenttemplate is placed on the patient's dental arch, the dental attachmentis aligned over the etched attachment location; and attaching the dentalattachment to the attachment location.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising applying a sealer to a surface of the attachment locationprior to attaching the dental attachment.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the wafer is formed of an absorbent material with the etchmaterial absorbed therein.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstwell is within the one or more first cavities of the etching template,and wherein the second well is within the one or more second cavities ofthe attachment template.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein attaching thedental attachment comprises curing a bonding agent via an ultra-violet(UV) light source.